Of all health and environmental issues, food safety demands the most urgent attention from authorities when regulations are found to have been violated. Recently in China, there have been several food safety scandals that have resulted in huge financial losses and damage to the reputation of the country and its food export sector. The climax came in July 2007 when it was announced that the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration, Zheng Xiaoyu, took bribes in exchange for issuing state food safety licenses. He was later executed in accordance with China’s tough official stance on corruption. Before this, there were a number of scandals related to the food sector. Jinhua ham was found to have been treated with a poisonous pesticide prior to sale (2003); the production of counterfeit baby food that caused the death of around 80 babies and hundreds of cases of severe malnutrition in 2004; and most recently, in 2008, the contaminated baby formula produced by the Sanlu Group caused the onset of kidney disease with many victims.

The fact that the State Food and Drug Administration of China (established in 2003 to take control of food safety issues) was itself the target of a corruption investigation has led to a resurgence in the adoption of audited standards. by third parties for food safety in the country. country. Foreign importers from China do not trust Chinese national standards and require exporters to adhere to international standards such as ISO 22000 inspected by global certification bodies. Similar incidents have occurred in Japan, most notably with the Snow Brand dairy company, which was found to have falsified food safety records in the wake of a tainted dairy scandal in 2002.

Most nations have a government authority to manage these problems from production to sale to consumers. They advise on national legislation and provide food safety requirements for products imported and produced in the country. These include the UK Food Standards Authority, the US Food and Drug Administration, as well as the China State Food and Drug Administration. At EU level, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conducts food safety risk assessments in cooperation with national governments and provides independent advice and communication on current and emerging risks.

The HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) guidelines published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations are a fundamental part of the important food safety standard being developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ISO 22000. There are seven HACCP principles that must be followed. These dictate that food producers must conduct a pre-production hazard analysis to identify and address biological, chemical or physical problems that make food unsafe for human consumption; establish good security surveillance systems; and implement comprehensive documentation procedures. The application of HACCP principles and procedures is mandatory in the US for food products including meat, juices, and seafood, and is generally applied elsewhere as the basis for third-party food safety certification.

As the examples from China show, food safety certification is absolutely critical for food retail and international trade. Without it, producers and suppliers cannot sell their products. There is significant reputational and business risk associated with the way in which certification is obtained and it is advisable to obtain certification against recognized standards issued by reputable third party certification bodies.

Launched in 2005, ISO 22000 is already one of the best recognized international food safety standards. Provides food safety management systems for any organization, regardless of size, involved in any aspect of the food chain. To meet the standard, an organization must demonstrate its ability to effectively control food safety hazards to ensure that food is safe for human consumption. It incorporates the HACCP principles described above.

Before the ISO standard, the BRC (British Rail Consortium) global standard for food safety was established and trusted by major global retailers to deliver effective supply chain management and legal compliance. The Global Standard is part of a group of product safety standards, which together enable certification of the entire food supply chain, and was the first standard in the world to be approved by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GSFI). .

Formerly called EurepGAP, GLOBALGAP establishes voluntary ‘pre-farm’ standards for the certification of agricultural products and Good Agricultural Practices. The standards are awarded by approved third-party certification bodies in more than 75 countries. GLOBALGAP is a business-to-business label and is therefore not directly relevant to consumers.

Other leading standards, more on the ethical side of food production, are the Food Alliance Certification and the US-based SQF Certification.The Food Alliance Certification is awarded to sustainable food products from North America covering topics such as the humane treatment of animals and the exclusion of hormones, non-therapeutic antibiotics, transgenic crops or livestock and certain pesticides, as well as the protection of soil and water on the farm / ranch. level.

SQF (Safe Quality Food) certification is awarded by licensed certifiers globally and provides independent certification that a supplier’s food safety and quality management system complies with national and international food safety standards. SQF certifications have been awarded to thousands of companies operating in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America.